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Hi guys! I know it’s a rare occurrence to get a blog post from me nowadays, but the truth is I’m trying hard to get more of a work/life balance, which means less time in front of screens outside of work, so recently I’ve really been trying to just enjoy my reading for the sake of enjoying it, rather than blogging. (Also, my time management still seems to be lacking … )

Having said that, Martin was kind enough to notice me as a publisher in the mental health publishing industry and wanted to know my thoughts on his book High Tide, Low Tide, and so here they are!

How Can You Be a Good Friend, When Your Friend Lives with Mental Illness?

We all want to be there for our friends, but when your friend lives with mental illness it can be hard to know what to do, especially if you live far apart. Transatlantic best friends Martin Baker and Fran Houston share what they’ve learned about growing a supportive, mutually rewarding friendship between a “well one” and an “ill one.”

“High Tide, Low Tide: The Caring Friend’s Guide to Bipolar Disorder” offers no-nonsense advice from the caring friend’s point of view, original approaches and practical tips, illustrated with real-life conversations and examples.

Perceptive, informative, interesting, educational, touching, and valuable, this book stresses the importance of a support system for those who struggle with mental health difficulties. I can’t stress enough, having my own lived experience with mental ill health in the family, how important and effective it can be to have a strong support system around you. What’s interesting is that Martin was able to provide this for his friend, despite the fact that he lives a long way away from her.

I was genuinely impressed – and I admit, a little bit surprised – by this book. I’m always really wary of self-help type books that aren’t written by industry experts in case the author accidentally gets something wrong. But everything I read was right on the mark. The book is insightful and very emotionally intelligent, without patronising the reader or the people the reader is looking to support. It gives brilliant advice, and not just tangible step-by-step goals, but emotional, mental and friendship advice too.

High Tide, Low Tide is so unique in that it caters towards friends, rather than just partners or family. It also comes from a unique angle in that Marty provides support for Fran despite living in the UK, whereas she’s in the US. It’s a nice proof that anyone has the capacity to be as helpful a friend as their own life allows or has space for. In that way I think it fills a gap in the market.

The book is very insightful. It makes you come to realisations about the human psyche and the dynamics of friendship that you never knew you always knew – until you read it in Marty’s words. For example, he talks about how setting certain boundaries is vital, how not to fall into co-dependency, and that just because a friend really wants your help or asks for your help, doesn’t mean you have any obligation to do it. I was relieved to read this, because Marty admits himself that he and Fran talk twice daily, that he has a very, very big part in her life despite their living oceans apart. He knows her friends, medical professionals, and knows about her daily routine and wellness plan. I like the fact that Marty doesn’t expect you to have such an intense involvement in your own friends’ lives, because I know I certainly found it to be quite full-on.

I will say that if you read this book, don’t be put off if you can’t do as much as Marty is able to do for Fran. Even at one point he is able to put her thought and behaviour patterns into quite elaborate analogies. He refers to the variables in Fran’s life as ‘sine waves’ and is able to help her understand herself and her life using this analogy. While it’s so useful for readers to be given this analogy so that they can use it in their own lives, I would advise readers not to feel out of their depth if they can’t give this level of insight to their own friends. It’s quite in-depth and I think this is where Marty goes above and beyond, probably above and beyond what some people can manage.

I did wonder from time to time about Marty’s role in Fran’s life. At one point he puts it upon himself to remind her, during a manic phase, that she shouldn’t be driving recklessly or smoking in a wooden house. I found this to be such a fascinating dynamic because, in my own therapy sessions with my sisters, I’ve been told over and over again not to ‘parent’ my sisters. Our relationship should be adult > adult not parent > child. And I gave it some thought and wondered whether mental illness changes this concept at all. Is it okay for Marty to sometimes become the ‘parent’ figure (in my own perception – he doesn’t use this terminology himself. He might not even see it the same way I do.) I think in this case, yes, and here’s why: because Fran tells him to ‘care, not to worry’. And I think that’s what stops him being the ‘parent’ figure. He just cares about her safety, as her friend. Is he not worrying about her or bossing her about, he’s just looking out for her as a friend.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the book didn’t leave any stone unturned and yet it’s not unbearably long or dense. It’s easy to read, accessible, and very well written and edited. It covers some important points that I knew I wanted to see going into it – especially the concept of self-care for the person providing the support. It’s absolutely vital for people who support others with mental health difficulties to look after themselves too. I speak from experience: unless you look after yourself too, you burn out and actually risk your own mental wellbeing.

The book is into easy-to-read sections, giving an insight into Fran’s life, Marty’s life, and their relationship. It also talks more broadly about bipolar disorder (the different types, with explanations of depression and mania) and other, more universal topics that relate to everyone in terms of mental health.

The book is not prescriptive, which is so valuable. It advises, rather than instructs. Marty often uses the words ‘I recommend’ rather than ‘you should’, and always reminds you that it’s up to you and your friend how you navigate your relationship in unsteady waters and uncharted territory. He’s just giving you some advice that might help for you.

The only thing I think I would change about the book – and it was very hard to think of anything, to be honest – is that I would take out the list of the names of bipolar disorder medications and the long descriptions of what they are. I think there’s always a risk of people reading this sort of thing from anyone other than a medical professional and deciding for themselves what medications they should or shouldn’t have. I’ve even heard of people reading up on medications and then going to the doctor and demanding medicines that really wouldn’t actually work for them personally. I think discussions of medications should be confined to conversations between a psychiatrist and the patient, and if they’re given certain medications, the psychiatrist should be providing them with all this info anyway. I don’t really see any benefit to that section, but that’s genuinely just my opinion.

I was honestly very impressed by this book – and I know what I’m talking about, as a mental health publisher. If you’re supporting someone in your life with bipolar disorder, this book would be invaluable for you. Don’t hesitate to give it a try. It’s a gem of a book.

A successful electrical engineer until illness struck, author and photographer Fran Houston has lived with bipolar disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia for over twenty years. Fran lives in Portland, Maine, and is passionate about making invisible illness visible. Three thousand miles away in the north-east of England, Martin Baker is an ASIST trained Mental Health First Aider and Time to Change Champion. A member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mind, and Bipolar UK, Martin is also Fran’s primary support and lifeline.

We’re also the largest children’s book publisher in Scotland. We publish board and picture books for 0-7 year olds, including international stories in translation and nostalgic classics from illustrators such as Elsa Beskow, as well as the Picture Kelpies range of Scottish picture books; story books and anthologies for 6-10 year olds; and the Kelpies, a much-loved range of Scottish children’s fiction for 1-15 year olds. We also publish a wide range of craft and activity books suitable for children and adults of all ages.

The book I will be reviewing is:

Telling people you hear voices doesn’t win you many friends. Especially when you’re starting high school. Especially when everyone thinks you’re just like your troublemaking big sister.

Lily’s hoping to put all the madness of the previous summer behind her but with serious friend dramas, nasty rumours and a big sister who might end up in jail, the last thing Lily wants is to start up that weird psychic stuff again. But it might be her only hope…

Spend the autumn with Lily in this beautifully written, laugh-out-loud sequel to Waterstones Children’s Book Prize longlister The Mixed-Up Summer of Lily McLean by Kelpies Prize winner Lindsay Littleson.

I loved reading this book. It made me wish I was a young teenager all over again.

The story has a good balance of light-heartedness, which is good for a children’s/young adult book, and seriousness and light peril which helps drive the story along. Lily’s insecurities will be very relatable to young people and I think that’s important.

Lily has a fierce love for her family and you can tell that she feels a certain responsibility for them, even her older sister who seems to be falling into the wrong crowd. Add that to the fact that she doesn’t completely understand herself, and you can see why Lily’s life is confusing at best.

Lily’s mother is an interesting person. She’s hard working and in survival mode, and I get the sense that she’s struggling quite a lot emotionally, inside, and that Lily understands it to a certain degree. I don’t think she understands, though, how neglectful her mother’s problems are making her become, unintentionally. It would be interesting to see how Lily’s mother’s story develops over the series.

The little injection of magic/paranormal brings the story to life – Lily is convinced she’s psychic, although she sometimes doubts herself, and these books are about trying to understand herself while also trying to save the people around her.

The book is also about trying to understand other people and why bad people might do what they do, including mean children and evil adults. That’s very clever in a children’s book and that’s why I think the book is so educational. All of this stuff is very well balanced with everyday, normal concerns of a teenager and school life, so kids will be able to see a bit of themselves in her.

The story is very entertaining, very accessible and well written. A great book for kids and actually adults alike.

It’s worth noting that this is the second book in the Lily McLean series, so if you want to read it or buy it for your son or daughter, I’d recommend buying them both so that they can learn about Lily’s story from the beginning.

Laura Jones is a freelancer who works in book production & promotion and is Bloody Scotland crime festival’s social media manager. She worked as Editorial and Marketing Assistant for Saraband and currently has numerous clients across publishing. [@laurafjones / Website]

Heather McDaid is a freelance writer and publishing person, who has worked with music magazines since the age of 18, including Upset, Rock Sound and DIY. She also works across the book world doing odd jobs, like marketing and coding. [@heathermmcd / Website]

Unsurprisingly, the book I’m reviewing from them is:

With intolerance and inequality increasingly normalised by the day, it’s more important than ever to share real experiences and hold the truth to account in the midst of sensationalism and international political turmoil. Nasty Women is a collection of essays, interviews and accounts on what it is to be a woman in the 21st century. Punk, pressure, politics, people – from working class experience to racial divides in Trump’s America, being a child of immigrants, to sexual assault, Brexit, pregnancy, contraception, identity, family, finding a voice online, role models and more, Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!, Zeba Talkhani, Chitra Ramaswamy are just a few of the incredible women who share their experience here. Keep telling your stories and tell them loud.

My review is never really going to do this book justice. This is an incredibly important book, and I don’t even really know where to start. But I’ll give it a shot.

All of the women in this book are incredibly inspirational, brilliant writers, unique in their voices and outlook. Their insights are so valuable in a society that is becoming more and more terrifying by the minute.

The book doesn’t seek to preach or to dictate; instead it hands you stories that are possibly alternative to how you see the world, and asks you to do the very simple task of opening your mind in order to realise that there is no “normal”. Every single point of view in this book is valid and should be celebrated. Every single story educates you in a compelling, non-patronising way.

The book is easy to read while challenging you to either change your way of thinking, or to encourage those around you to do the same. It highlights the importance of women in society and it tackles subjects that so many people deem either too scary to face, or else not important enough to discuss.

The book is funny in places and heartbreaking in others, but always it is fascinating and eye-opening. There are things I thought I knew about in the world, but a lot of these essays taught me that actually often I just think I know what I’m talking about. And it’s books like these that prove to me that even though I am liberal and tolerant and open minded, I have a lot of self-educating to do as well.

I dog eared so many pages with the intention of including lots of quotes in this review, but actually I think if I did this I would be robbing the reader of discovering them while reading the book, and the enjoyment of finding profundity in the words themselves.

Read this book; it is essential reading for men and women alike. It will give all of you a new respect for women and what we all go through in day-to-day life.

Time for book review number 6 for my 52 Books by 52 Publishers reading challenge. Today’s publisher is…

Accent Press!

Accent Press is a feisty, independent publishing company.

Founded by Hazel Cushion in 2003, Accent Press is an award-winning independent publisher which has become a major name for dynamic trade publishing. The company publishes a range of fiction and non-fiction titles across four imprints. Accent Press was named Specialist Publisher of the Year and was shortlisted for Independent Publisher of the Year at the IPG Awards.

‘You haven’t said a single word since you’ve been here. Is it on purpose?’ I tried to answer David but I couldn’t … my brain wanted to speak but my throat wouldn’t cooperate…

Adam blames himself for his best friend’s death. After attempting suicide, he is put in the care of a local mental health facility. There, too traumatized to speak, he begins to write notebooks detailing the events leading up to Jake’s murder, trying to understand who is really responsible and cope with how needless it was as a petty argument spiralled out of control and peer pressure took hold.

Sad but unsentimental, this is a moving story of friendship and the aftermath of its destruction.

I’ve been so lucky so far in that I’ve really loved every book I’ve read so far this year for my reading challenge. All but two of them have been independent publishers. What does that tell you? Yep, that indies pack a punch and are producing some of the best literature we have out there today.

The Deepest Cut is a young adult novel. No matter how old you are, I really think it’s enriching to read young adult novels. They really are something special, and with the huge popularity it has enjoyed over the last few years, it’s only getting better.

This book is sad, yes, and it made me bawl my eyes out on more than one occasion. It’s about a boy who lost his best friend to knife crime, after all. But it’s not just about the sadness. It’s about deep, undying male platonic love. It’s about the strength of friendship and about how no human being is infallible. It’s about grief and support and mental illness, specifically Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s about peer pressure and the fragility of teenager friendships. It’s about confusion and not really knowing who you are as a kid. It’s about craving acceptance and yearning for what once was. It’s about the difficulties of dealing with change.

What I especially love is that Natalie Flynn has managed to capture the voice of a teenage boy, a troubled teenage boy, so accurately and convincingly. I was a teenager only ten years ago, and I remember having some of the same worries and thoughts and feelings that the kids do in this book, and so it felt really authentic. Equally, his mental anguish felt very authentic too. It was particularly effective because for much of the narrative the focus is on simple teenager issues, and is then contrasted with very unusual ones, which deals an emotional blow.

The sheer contrast between the Adam before Jake’s murder and the Adam after his murder makes for quite heartbreaking reading. He just suddenly cares about nothing, except Jake. Life doesn’t matter to him anymore. He’s angry and resentful at his father for not caring about him and betraying him. He’s upset and terrified of people finding out how and why he’s complicit in Jake’s murder. He’s angry at people for not understanding him. And he’s angry at everyone who won’t just let him end his own life.

The story of Jake’s murder is told over a series of diary entries which Adam is writing for his psychotherapist to read in the mental hospital. These are interspersed with current-day narratives about Adam’s life in the present, post-murder and post- Adam’s mental breakdown. This kept me absolutely hooked as a reader, desperate to know who murdered Jake and why.

The most effective aspect of Flynn’s writing, for me, was how she brought Adam and Jake’s friendship to life. Their love for each other just radiates off the page. It makes the whole tragedy even more powerful to read about. It’s very good writing.

I think it would be especially important for teenagers to read this book as it highlights, very dramatically and colourfully, how important seemingly unimportant things are, at that age. It demonstrates the danger that can befall absolutely anyone. And it emphasises the seriousness of fighting and knife crime, which is often underestimated by young teens who sometimes feel invincible.

This book is a fantastic read for people of any age. Definitely one for your shelf. Well done Natalie Flynn and Accent press. I’ll be returning for more!

Hi guys. Slowly trying to catch up with reviewing for my 52 books by 52 publishers reading challenge. Here’s number 4, and the publisher is:

Dodo Ink is an independent publishing company based in the UK. Founded by author Sam Mills (The Quiddity of Will Self, Corsair, 2012), digital publishing and marketing specialist Alex Spears, and reviewer Thom Cuell, Dodo Ink will publish original fiction, with a focus on risk-taking, imaginative novels. We are looking for books which don’t fall into easy marketing categories and don’t compromise their intelligence or style to fit in with trends. We are passionate readers, and we believe that there are many more who share our appetite for bold, original and ‘difficult’ fiction. We want to provide a home for great writing which isn’t being picked up by the mainstream.

We were told that our mother’s life was terminated by killer bees while vacationing in San Marcos, Mexico with Dr Vargas at his family home.

After her mother dies in bizarre circumstances, heiress Eugenie Lund is abducted by Dr Vargas, a charismatic Svengali-like figure who educates her according to his own philosophy, an esoteric blend of anthropology and psychiatry. Isolated from outside influences, Eugenie’s life is spent on the run across North America and Europe, existing on the fringes of society, always trying to keep one step ahead of her past. Taking in Mexico, Las Vegas, and the underground rave scene, Dodge and Burn is a psychedelic road trip recounted in beautifully crafted prose that pulses with frenetic energy.

Inspired by the likes of Carlos Castaneda and Hunter S Thompson, this is an exciting, iconoclastic debut novel from a remarkable new voice.

Well. Where do I start with this one? It is quite frankly nothing like I’ve ever, ever read before!

When it says ‘psychedelic’ in the blurb, they’re really not kidding. This story is all about one girl’s mission to find her missing sister and to make sense of the universe around her, and is written as a series of notebook/diary entries interspersed with the narrative and point of view of an outside character who is trying to track her down. Eugenie’s universe is quite different to many other people’s: she relies on heavy psychedelic drug use, Wiccan rituals, tribal practices, meditation and all manner of other things to make sense of her own world and access modes and forms of perception and existence that are completely alien to most of us. It leaves you wondering, quite often, what is real and what Eugenie is imagining or hallucinating. Often you’re left to decide that for yourself. For this reason the writing is lyrical, poetic, surreal, and quite ground-breaking. It is truly a reading ‘experience’ and quite unique.

This doesn’t mean it’s hard to read. On the contrary, I read in Seraphina’s essay on the writing of Dodge and Burn and she stated that she wanted Eugenie’s voice to sound “scholarly, yet popular in a generally even tone” and she’s achieved that perfectly. I did have to read a few passages a couple of times over, but that’s not because of the writing style, it’s because the concepts that were being described were so new to me that I had to try to understand them as much as I could in order to understand Eugenie. You get a real sense of who Eugenie is under the surface and you yearn for her missing sister along with her; you are endlessly curious about the world and alternative ways of living, just like she is. She pulls you into her bizarre reality along with her, and it’s a lot of fun.

I loved Ben, Eugenie’s husband. He is calm and collected most of the time, and only really aggressive if he perceives a threat towards Eugenie. You can feel the love between the couple radiate off the page. The way he doesn’t altogether understand Eugenie and what she talks about, but humours her and supports her and goes along with her rituals and things anyway, is truly adorable and lovely. He isn’t perfect and he has a fairly dark, criminal past, but Ben’s sole purpose before meeting Eugenie is to travel the world and take part in dance raves, and afterwards it seems to be protecting Eugenie to the best of his ability. And I like him for that. He is not averse to violence but doesn’t indulge in it for the sake of things.

Dr Vargas, Eugenie and her sister’s captor, reminded me a little bit of Count Olaf from a Series of Unfortunate Events. I guess this is probably an annoying comment for the author to read as obviously Count Olaf has never had any bearing or influence on this character, and in fact Seraphina’s own stepfather was the influence there. But just to give you an idea of what it’s like if you haven’t read the book, the circumstances are similar in that he makes the children’s lives miserable by kidnapping them and exercising his sheer dominance and power over them in an almost magical way to keep them under his thumb for years and years. He is dangerous and evil and conniving and greedy and, quite unlike Count Olaf, he should be taken very seriously indeed. He really is quite an unpleasant character.

The mystery of Eugenie’s sister Camille and where she’s disappeared to is truly fascinating. The ending of the book just utterly took my breath away; I did not for one second expect it to happen and yet it makes so much sense. Then, of course, you have to decide if you believe the twist to be real. I personally do believe it, but that’s up for you to figure out for yourself. I’d love to hear your interpretations of this book.

Books like these are the reason I love indie publishing companies: Penguin Random House or Hachette probably wouldn’t have looked at this twice and that is a massive, massive loss for them. Read it! Four big shiny stars from me.

It’s Stephanie, the SYP North Chair, writing to you today. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and an amazing New Year.

So, New Year, New You! And what better way to start the year than to bag yourself an awesome #publishing job as Editorial Assistant (without having to relocate to London!)

There is now a #vacancy at the children’s #book publisher where I will shortly be leaving as I move on to pastures new! The role is #Editorial Assistant and is a perfect opportunity for those looking to get into the industry, or are already working at entry-level and would like to take on more responsibility and play a vital role in developing a #publishing frontlist.

Based in a beautiful location just outside of Worksop, Nottinghamshire (within commuting distance of Lincoln, Newark, Nottingham, and Mansfield, among other towns and cities), the job is a really exciting introduction into the colourful world of children’s books.

Please find information about the job below. Please share with anyone you might feel would be interested in the position. The deadline for applications is 30th January 2017 but early applicants will be interviewed before then. If you’re interested, please send your CV and covering letter to me at stephanie@awardpublications.co.uk. Or, PM me on Facebook for more information about the job. Can’t wait to hear from you! Good luck!

Award Publications Ltd

Job description – Editorial Assistant

An exciting new opportunity for a motivated individual with a passion for children’s books to join an award winning independent children’s publisher based near Worksop. This wide ranging position will play a key role in supporting the International Sales and Production teams and is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to develop a career in publishing.

Key Editorial duties:

· Assist in the creation of new concepts and commissioning of new titles
· Authoring of text
· Proofreading and editing
· Coordinating authors, illustrators and freelancers and maintaining close working relationships with them
· Writing and managing author/artist project briefs

Key Design duties:

· Assist in designing and creating new products
· Making up samples and materials for Book Fairs

Key Sales Support duties:

· Use in-house systems to compile and maintain product lists, advanced book information and sales presentation materials
· Ensure sales team and agents are kept informed and supplied with necessary materials and information
· Assisting the sales and marketing team with marketing campaigns on social media and blogging sites

Experience / skills required:

· Excellent IT skills, including strong Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel, and preferably InDesign/Creative Suite
· Excellent time-management and organisational skills, particularly the ability to manage own workload and prioritise accordingly
· Strong communication and interpersonal skills
· Good written and verbal communication
· The ability to work on your own initiative and solve problems
· A good eye for detail
· Education or experience to degree level or equivalent
· Prior experience in sales support or publishing, and/or fluency in an additional European language would be an advantage but is not essential.

The closing date for applications for this role is Saturday 15th January 2017, though interviews may take place throughout the application period. Earnings potential to £20k, dependent on experience and performance.

I am delighted to welcome today’s interviewee, a former colleague of mine at Award Publications. Richard Carman has now moved on to pastures new and his new company is an exciting new children’s publisher which is set to do big things. Read on to find out more about Richard, Fourth Wall Books, and the role of International Rights Manager within publishing…

Please can you introduce yourself and give a brief overview of your career?

My name is Richard Carman, and I am International Rights Manager at Fourth Wall Publishing. I started in the book trade aged about 6, when I started sticking labels into the fronts of my Enid Blyton books and lending them to my friends as a library. I had my own duodecimal system of numbering. No-one was interested! I dropped out of a Master’s degree and got a job in WH Willshaw booksellers in Manchester, and from there joined David & Charles as a rep. I was headhunted by Hodder to join them in the same role, and went on to my first managerial role, aged 31, at Omnibus Press. From there I was UK Sales Manager for Penguin, then South Africa Sales Manager for Dorling Kindersley, which let to five very happy years as Head of Export. Made redundant when DK went bust, I was a freelance for nearly ten years in Africa working for people like Orion, Walker Books, Kingfisher and Kogan Page, and I joined Award Publications in 2010. I joined Fourth Wall in March of this year.

Can you tell us a little bit more about Fourth Wall Books? How did it come about?

Fourth Wall Publishing was originally conceived a few years ago, but the owners’ background led them to found a very successful branding and marketing agency first. We work with some very well-known high street brands as well as a lot of the Premier League football clubs. Fourth Wall Publishing was launched at London Book Fair 2015, and the first ten titles published in the autumn of that year. Our pace picked up this spring, and we’ll be publishing around 50 books a year.

What is the most challenging part of your role as International Rights Manager?

A lot of the companies I worked with in the past publish different kinds of books to those that we specialise in, so finding new customers and establishing relationships with them from scratch is probably the most challenging element.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I like people, I like being in a busy team and in a creative environment. Because the majority of my colleagues are designers, it’s good to be involved in every book from day one of its creation, and to be able to look up from my desk and see books being developed just across the room. And I love book fairs (anyone in publishing who tells you they don’t are liars), and travelling.

What trends are you currently seeing in the children’s book market?

YA fiction continues to be a big pull I think, but really good, contemporary, international-feel illustrations seem to be increasing in popularity. There’ll always be the pull of Disney and big-branded products, but underneath that it’s a healthy market too I think.

What upcoming Fourth Wall books are you most excited about?

My favourite of the next batch is “When The Sky Was Too Low” by Adam Bestwick, which is based on an old Native American myth. In ancient times, the sky was very close to the ground. Adults couldn’t walk upright, elephants were as big as dogs, and giraffe’s necks pointed sideways, not upwards. The children can’t fly their kites or kick their footballs high, so they get together and – after some false starts – find they can push the sky up high if they join up all their sticks and push together. When night comes they see the stars for the first time, because the light shines through the holes they made with their sticks. It’s a beautiful story about kids being able to solve problems that adults can’t, and about working together being the best way to work.

How do you go about marketing yourself as a brand new book publisher?

With a lot of hard work. Networking, visiting customers, social media, distinctive and memorable stands at book fairs, joining in everything we can really – getting our name seen and included. One has to be realistic and realise Rome wasn’t built in a day. But by the time it was finished, Rome was a beautiful place and people are still going there. So I want us to be a beautiful, successful publisher to whom people are still coming many years in the future.

You are based up in the North of England – how do you feel this will both benefit you and hinder you?

You can get a decent coffee anywhere in Cheshire now, so that’s the first thing. I think companies based outside of London obviously benefit from being immune to the costs of being in the South East. There’s a whole wealth of untapped talent in the North West, and we have access to fabulous illustrators and designers, writers, and people looking to work in marketing and production are welcome to contact us too. There are lots of people not based in London who want to work in “proper” book publishing. We can’t give a job to everyone, but we’re not short of options. We can be in London in a couple of hours maximum if we need to be. If you work in Hammersmith and live in Brockley, that’s going to take you the best part of an hour. I can’t actually think of any downsides!